Recently an announcement from The Hon Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education and the Hon Clare O’Neil MP, Minister for Home Affairs have communicated that international higher education graduates with eligible qualifications will be granted an extra two years of post-study visa.

The eligible occupations that have been targeting includes, health, teaching, engineering and agricultural fields. Find more information about the eligible occupation and qualification list.

This new extension will be practised from 1^st of July 2023.

Additionally, work hours cap for international students will be increased from 40 to 48 hours per fortnight. The International student working hour cap factsheet provides information about the new procedures.

In case you have questions regarding visa updates, please contact our team.

Contact us

While Covid is keeping most Australian states and territories closed for offshore applicants, South Australia announced in May 2021 that it is now considering sponsoring offshore applicants for 491 and 190 visas.

Some changes have been announced by the Minister Alan Tudge on 19 December 2020. These changes might bring relief to Graduate Subclass 485 Post Study Work Stream (PSW) visa holders and students who wish to apply for 485 visa but are stuck outside Australia due to Covid19 pandemic.

Government corruption is a serious offence and needs to be dealt with accordingly. Daryl Maguire abused his position of power on more than one occasion, so why hasn't he faced any punishment?

UPDATED 13 MAY 2021

Australia's current allocations of places for skilled migration and business visa nominations. 

Subcribe to our facebook to get updated migration information: WORK VISA Lawyers 

On 17 September 2020 (Australian Citizenship Day), the Australian Government announced that Australian citizenship test will be updated and revised. This is the first time change in more than one decade, adding questions that focus on Australian values. After 15 November 2020, the candidates will take the updated citizenship test with new changes.  

WHAT ARE THE CHANGES

The focus of the changes is to add questions of Australian values ​​to the test. Applicants are required to have a deeper understanding and recognition of Australian values, and understand the importance of democracy and the rule of law before making a final commitment to Australia. The changes will be officially implemented on November 15, 2020.

These changes have no impact on applicants' English language and residence requirements.

The revised citizenship test will comprise of 20 multiple choice questions with 5 questions on Australian values. Applicants who take the test on and after 15 November 2020 must correctly answer 5 questions regarding "Australian Values".

HOW TO PASS THE TEST

The Department of Home Affairs has released the invitation September 2020 round for Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491).

Click the following blog for the information about the most recent changes annouced: 2020/2021 Migration Latest Updates

Tonight, the federal government will provide more details to allocate funding towards services and programs for the country for 2020 -2021 financial year.

The Federal budget 2020 will deliver an economic recovery plan in which Australian migration will be a key component.

Highlights

• Australian government will announce the Federal Budget 2020 tonight

• Migration program planning levels will be announced tonight

• Australian states & territories General Skilled Migration (GSM) will open soon

The Australian immigration department has recently offered COVID-19 concessions to international students for Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate. During COVID-19 pandemic, many visa applicants and international students have been adversely affected by circumstances beyond their control, including Border closures, stand-downs and disruptions to courses.

The COVID-19 concessions are designed to ensure provisional and temporary visa holders are not disadvantaged by circumstances beyond their control during COVID-19 Pandemic, including Border closures, restrictions imposed on businesses and the general economic downturn related to COVID-19.

Today, 10 September 2020, the interim nomination allocations for 190 visa, 491 visa, 132 visa and 188 visa for 2020 for the different state nomination programs have been released.

The Australian Government has announced that they have created a new taskforce, the “Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce”, to bring business and skills to Australia.

This was announced on ABC News, and repeated by Minister Tudge in a tweet this morning (5 September 2020).

The Shepparton news reported that Peter Dutton told Nine News "It's OK that we've got support in place at the moment with JobKeeper and JobSeeker - that's fine and that's a good thing - but to get to the next stage we need to have investment."

Click here to learn the criteria for the Global Talent Visa

Minister Tudge placed heavy emphasis on the benefit of this Taskforce for Australian employment opportunities in his interview with ABC AM earlier this morning. It will combined efforts of:

• AusTrade
• State governments
• The Department of Home Affairs

The AFR has reported that the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce will be led by Peter Verwer, previously the boss of the Property Council of Australia.

A working target for the Government is 1,000 or so such businesses.

Global Business and Talent Attraction: A new pathway to Australian permanent residence?

Along with the new The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce comes a new webpage.

The main focus of the new Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce appears to be targeting the Moby Dicks of the business world, attracting very large businesses to be the next Atlassian or Canva.

As a whole of Government approach, the target businesses are likely to received prioritised processing and higher service standards than applicants through other pathways.

We expect that the announcement of the Taskforce will lead to an increased focus on the Global Talent Independent visa, as well as continued focus on the business and investment visa programs, such as the 188 visa and 132 visa. The Global Talent Employer Sponsored program is likely to be a key to helping these businesses fill labour needs where Australians are not available to fill the roles.

Expression of Interest for Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

While the Global Talent Independent visa Expression of Interest is still available, the Government has released a new expression of interest for The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce. The new expression of interest is more open-ended and does not indicate any strict requirements.

Benefits of the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce is intended to provide:

• Faster and easier access to Australian permanent residency
• More hands-on support for (prospective) migrants
• Advice and information to assist with the migration process
• One direct contact who will assist in liaising with several areas of Government to provide a "whole of Government" package

Requirements for the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce has indicated it is looking for:

• Top tier business leaders
• Globally talent professionals 

The new taskforce has not indicated any clear requirements.

The expression of interest does not request any income or salary details and does not have a list of target sectors to choose from.

As such, the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce appears to be more open-ended than the Global Talent Independent visa program, which has 7 key target sectors and requires a salary (or potential salary) of AUD $153,600.

For businesses, it has been indicated that there will be a focus on "high yield businesses". We expect that this might include businesses such as:

• Consulting businesses
• Marketing businesses, including digital marketing
• IT and software development businesses
• Corporate and professional services businesses
• Financial businesses

This also indicates that the Department will be less interested in "high capital" businesses, such as manufacturing businesses.

Hong Kong and Global Talent - Where will the centre of Asia Business Be?

The Australian Government in many of its announcements has indicated a strong intention to attract business and talent from Hong Kong to move to Australia.

Hong Kong has been a key hub of business and trade in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Australia seems to be looking to strengthen its position as such as hub in its own right, by attracting key players from Hong Kong to Australia.

Sydney, Australia has been highlighted as one of the top 10 cities for business in Asia Pacific. It is likely that this will continue to be a focal point for businesses looking to set up headquarters in Australia.

Other recent Global Talent visa initiatives

There are a range of recent initiatives already put in place by the Australian Government to attract and retain global talent. These are likely to form a part of the Taskforce’s initiatives to bring business and skills to Australia.

Global Talent Independent Visa

The Global Talent Independent visa is a thriving category which has been seeing more attention in recent months.

Established in November 2019, it has a yearly allocation of 5,000 positions to attract global talent to Australia from the following target sectors:

• AgTech
• Space and Advanced Manufacturing
• FinTech
• Energy and Mining Technology
• MedTech
• Cyber Security
• Quantum Information, Advanced Digital, Data Science and ICT

This forms a part of the 3 visa products highlighted for global talent attraction.

A recent FOI disclosure indicated that 100% of 38 visa applications for global talent from offshore were approved, and that there were 144 onshore 858 visa approvals out of 162 lodgements. It is not clear exactly what period of the program these statistics relate to.

Global Talent Employer Sponsored

A substantial, but less talked-about program is the Global Talent Employer Sponsored program. This program might support the labour needs of the big businesses which the Australian Government is hoping to attract to Australia with the new Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce.

South Australia pushing for Innovation and Global Talent

South Australia has identified itself in the Australian market as a strong contender for business innovation and headquarters for Hi-Tech developments. There are several programs pushing to develop this further.

Key Growth Sectors for South Australia

South Australia has a number of significant industries which, while many have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, will continue to be important to the growth of South Australia going forward.

These include:

• Tourism
• International education
• Defence industry
• Food, wine and agribusiness
• Hi-Tech
• Health and medical industries
• Energy and mining
• Space industry
• Creative industries

SISA 408 Visa - Supporting Innovation in South Australia

The Supporting Innovation in South Australia stream of the 408 visa is a program specifically designed to encourage innovative businesses operating in South Australia.

It is a temporary visa program for those looking to run businesses in South Australia, with a key focus on the following fields:

• Defense and Space
• Cybersecurity, big data, digital and blockchain
• Food, wine, and ag. Tech
• Health and medical technology
• Robotics
• Media and film

A key benefit of the program is the involvement of innovation hubs and the Chief Entrepreneur.

Lot Fourteen

Lot Fourteen is a business and innovation hub located on North Terrace in the middle of Adelaide CBD, South Australia.

As an innovation hub, Lot Fourteen is home to a range of businesses operating in the growth areas highlighted above. 

A key feature of Lot Fourteen is the Australian Space Agency which opened at Lot Fourteen in February 2020.

Do you need help?

Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.

Based in Adelaide South Australia, we provide Australian Immigration advice to people and businesses from all over the world.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Acceptance of the new requirements
• Explanation of what your contribution to the recovery will be (200 words or less) in either:
  • Business activity
  • Investment activity

This is according to news published by Live in Melbourne. We expect further information following the Federal Budget around 6 October 2020.

Victoria Skilled Migration - 491 visa and 190 visa

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that Victoria continues to use the interim allocation places beyond 5 October 2020. 

By 02 October 2020, Victoria's temporary allocation for 2020-21 were: 

• 600 places for skilled subclass 190
• 200 places for skilled subclass 491
• 400 places for the business innovation and investment program

Victoria has received more than 2,400 registrations of interest received from skilled migrants, and more than 480 application from business migrants.

On 26 November 2020, Victoria has annouced that the skilled program (subclass 190 and subclass 491) remain closed to new applications. They continue to select high calibre skilled migrants for nomination from the pool of Registration of Interest submissions.

Once Victoria receives confirmation of its full 2020-21 nomination allocations for the skilled and business migration programs, it would reopen its 2020-2021 nomination for 491 visa and 190 visa soon.

It will only select applicants to apply for Victorian visa nomination if their Registration of Interest demonstrates they are working in health or medical research and contributing to Victoria’s economic recovery and/or health response.  

To be considered for Victorian visa nomination, you must submit a Registration of Interest for Victorian State Visa Nomination.  Applicants who register their interest may then be selected to apply for Victorian visa nomination.  

To be eligible to submit your Registration of Interest (ROI) for Victorian visa nomination (subclass 190 and 491) you must

• be currently living in Victoria, and
• be currently employed in Victoria (minimum six months), and
• work in a highly-skilled occupation in health or medical research, which supports Victoria’s economic recovery and/or health response

VIC will then select the best candidates to apply for Victorian visa nomination.

We are expecting a further update from Live in Melbourne following 6 October 2020.

Key terms: Citizenship – Australia – Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2017 (the Bill) – High Court citizenship ruling – Dual Citizenship – Australia Citizenship requirements – Australia MPs – Banarby Joyce – Fiona Nash – Malcolm Roberts – Larissa Waters – Scott Ludlam – Nick Xenophon – Matthew Canavan

On 20 April 2017 the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) announced that changes are being introduced to the Australian citizenship requirements. The changes include:

- Increased residency requirements (from one year to four)

- Meeting an English requirement

The changes are meant to be in effect once the Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2017 (the Bill) gets passed in Parliament. Unfortunately applications yet to be decided were also put on hold until the Bill can be passed.

Government Targets Vulnerable 457 visa holders. Condition 8107 changed by slashing time 457 holders have to find a new employer from 90 to 60 days!

Change to Condition 8107 on 457 Visa:

The Government has changes Migration Regulations by amending condition 8107 to provide that a 457 visa holder can only cease employment with an approved sponsor for 60 days.  The relevant section used to provide that the holder could cease employment for 90 days.

The regulation now provides:

“8107 3(b)  if the holder ceases empl​oyment — the period during which the holder ceases employment must not exceed 60 consecutive days”

The effect of this change is that if a 457 visa holder loses their job, then now only have two months for find a new employer and get a nomination approved to work for that employer.

Processing time for a decision upon a 457 Nomination

Processing standards quoted by DIBP are currently 40 working days until allocation to a case officer, which if you also count the weekends, is about 56 calendar days until first allocation.  

But part of the DIBP integrity push is that they almost always ask for evidence of genuine position for a nomination, which will then start the request further information (RFI) - a cycle which usually takes 28 days at a minimum.

So with one request, the timing to a decision on a nomination is 56 plus 28 = 84 days for a nomination decision with one request.

Sources:

1. Migration Legislation Amendment (2016 Measures No. 4) Regulation 2016, https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016L01696

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

This policy will make it practically impossible for most 457 visa holders to find a new position and to stay in Australia if they lose their job.

The timing was already very difficult when only three months (90 days) were allowed.

One of the big problems facing the 457 holder is the time that it takes for DIBP to make a decision on a 457 nomination.  

So even if you find a new employer on the day you lose your 457 job, you will most likely not be able to get the nomination approved in 60 days.  So the 457 holder will be exposed to having their visa cancelled.

There have been a number of policy changes to try and increase the integrity of the 457 program.  Many of these policy changes have been targeting potential abuses by employers. For example the no payment for migration outcome regulations.

This current initiative will actually increase the power of employers and make 457 visa holders more vulnerable to threats.  457 holders will know that the possibility of finding a new sponsor in 60 days and getting then nomination approved is low. So 457 holders may be forced to stay with the current employer.

This information is accurate on 02 November 2016

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The new Entrepreneur Visa which was first mentioned in December 2015 will be open for applications before the end of 2016, according to the announcement by the Australian Government National Innovation and Science Agenda. The legislative instrument which lists the criteria for the new Entrepreneur Visa was registered on 6^th September 2016 and contains the following information about the new visa stream:

- The Entrepreneur visa will be part of the Business Innovation and Investment visa programme

- Applicants will need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and be nominated by a State/Territory government

- The entrepreneurial entity should not be related to residential real estate or labour hire or involve purchasing an existing business or franchise

- The applicant needs to be below age 55 (unless exempted by the nominating State or Territory) and have Competent English (IELTS 6.0 in all components or equivalent English test results)

- One or more funding agreements for a total sum of at least A$200,000 must be obtained from an approved third party, which includes State and Territory governments, Commonwealth agencies, Publicly Funded Research Organisations, and investors registered as a Venture Capital Limited Partnerships (VCLP) or Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnerships (ESVCLP)

- The applicant must have a business plan outlining activities for the venture

Applying for Australian Permanent Residency as an Entrepreneur Visa Holder

The holder of the new Entrepreneur visa will be eligible for permanent residency through the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888) after holding the Entrepreneur visa for four years. The visa holder will also need to:

- Reside in Australia for at least 2 of the last 4 years

- Demonstrate success in the entrepreneurial venture, with consideration to:

• the number of Australian citizens and permanent residents employed by the venture
• the level and nature of funding and investment for the venture
• the annual turnover of the venture

- maintain an ongoing relationship with the nominating State/Territory Government (visa condition 8571)

As the Entrepreneur visa is at its early introduction stage, we will be bringing you more updates once they are available. Follow Work Visa Lawyers on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to receive the latest news about Australia migration and visas.

UPDATE 12 September 2016

The success of the entrepreneurial venture is demonstrated by completing at least two key success factors or a combination of one key success factor and three supporting success factors.

Key success factors include:

• Employing two or more Australians, permanent residents or other eligible persons
• Generating an annual turnover of at least AUD300 000
• Filing a provisional patent or acquiring a standard or innovation patent
• Receiving ongoing funding or investment in your entrepreneur activity
• Entering into a partnership with a University
• Selling an entrepreneurial venture for AUD2,000,000.

Supporting success factors include:

• Diversifying entrepreneurial activities into other business areas
• Receiving a statement of success from a state or territory government nominator
• Receiving sponsorship from the corporate sector
• Starting at least one other business or contributing to at least two other businesses
• Receiving formal awards or recognition
• Raising or contributing to social capital.

Please check with Work Visa Lawyers if you have questions about the requirements.

Sources:

1. http://www.innovation.gov.au/page/supporting-innovation-through-visas
2. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016L01391
3. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/188-
4. http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/888-

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

While the visa requirements for the Entrepreneur visa look simple based on the information currently available, discussions with industry specialists have highlighted the fact that obtaining approved funding from an approved third party will not be easy and straightforward. The second stage will also require caution as the success factors to be demonstrated are not clearly defined at this moment.

Opportunities for Accountants and other potential migrants

The Entrepreneur visa may be helpful for visa applicants of other streams or categories who are facing long processing/waiting periods for their visa. A good example of this would be general skilled migration applicants who are accountants, but are sitting on less than 70 points on the points test. An innovative idea may allow the applicant to apply for the Entrepreneur visa, and obtain a visa faster than the general skilled migration visas.

More information will be provided once they are available.

This information is accurate on 7 September 2016

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Immigration SA has released the new State Nomination Occupation List (SNOL) for 2016-17. You can look at the occupations available for nomination here.

A quick glance at the new occupation list shows the following:

- Finance Managers, Accountants (on Supplementary Skilled List) showing high availability for now

- ICT occupations require 70 points to be eligible for state nomination

- Café or Restaurant Manager is only suitable for subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visa sponsorship

- Customer Service Manager also only available for subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visa sponsorship

- Registered Nurse shows high availability

- Enrolled Nurse only eligible for subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa sponsorship

- Baker, Pastry Chef, Chef and Cook only eligible for subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa sponsorship

- Marketing Specialist and other generic business professionals listed as High Availability on the Supplementary Skilled List

Work Visa Lawyers will be providing further analysis on the SNOL on a later date.

Sources:

1. http://www.migration.sa.gov.au/skilled-migrants/lists-of-state-nominated-occupations

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

This list will be a big shock for cooks and hairdressers that were looking to apply straight for PR through the subclass 190.

Immigration SA may only accept a limited number of applicants for each occupation. You are advised to secure your nomination as soon as possible while there is still high availability.

However please be aware of all visa application requirements before submitting your application, and seek help from a Registered Migration Agent if in doubt.

This information is accurate on 4 July 2016

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Temporary workers on the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) were originally expected to start paying a 32.5% tax on all wages starting on 1 July 2016 (referred as the Backpacker Tax). Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer has announced today that the Backpacker Tax will be delayed until 1 January 2017, pending a review to the Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday visas (subclass 462).

With the delay of the implementation of the Backpacker Tax, temporary workers under the subclass 417 and subclass 462 visas will continue to pay tax on money earned above A$18,200.

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

This is good news for workers and current holders of the Working Holiday and Work and Holiday visas as the tax-free threshold is maintained. The programme will continue to be attractive for overseas youth to travel to Australia while being able to work to cover travel expenses. Regional agricultural business and farmers will be delighted with the news as it might mean that there is no need to increase payments to attract workers who are required during harvest.

Links to related articles:

• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-36309023
• http://www.farmweekly.com.au/news/agriculture/general/politics/backpacker-tax-reforms-set-to-be-shunned/2752421.aspx
• http://www.afr.com/news/policy/tax/time-to-go-sydney-too-expensive-with-a-backpacker-tax-20160517-gowxat
• http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-17/nt-farmers-call-backpacker-tax-delay-a-stunt/7421412

If you are interested to know more about the Work and Holiday visa programme, you can contact Work Visa Lawyers to find out more.

This information is accurate on 17 May 2016

Source:

1. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-17/malcolm-turnbull-to-back-down-on-backpacker-tax/7420102

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*** Read our earlier article about the new Student Visa structure here. ***

The new student 500 and student guardian 590 will commence from 1 July 2016

Features to include:

Three features we can comment on:

1.       The applications will be all electronic.

2.       The financial capacity requirements will be slightly higher:

The financial capacity requirements will be slightly higher:

Student: $19,830

Student Guardian: $19,830

Spouse or de-facto partner of student: $6,940

Any dependent children: $2,970

Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF)

The new simplified student visa framework (SSVF) will be influential in terms of the criteria for the student visa:

The DIBP website provides the following information:

“Under the SSVF, the combined immigration risk outcomes of the student’s education provider and country of citizenship will be used to guide the level of documentation relating to financial capacity and English language proficiency that the student would need to provide with their student visa application.”

The following chart if available from a factsheet for education providers:

“In the table S refers to streamlined evidentiary requirements while R refers to regular evidentiary requirements. Where regular evidentiary requirements apply the student will generally be required to provide evidence of their financial and English language capacity with their visa application.”

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

The shift to all electronic lodgements will be a major benefit to many applicants.  It will also allow the DIBP/DFAT to save money on staff costs.

We will provide more information about the specific requirements once they are available. In the meantime it is best that you submit your visa applications as early as possible to avoid any delays in starting your enrolled courses.

The simplification in visa classes and risk assessment criteria will be great for all involved.  The current system is very confusing and not user friendly at all.

This information is accurate on 07 May 2016

Sources:

1.     DIBP, SSVF factsheet- General information for education providers, May 2016

2.     Migration Institute of Australia, Reports to Members

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Closure of ACT nomination program to overseas applicants for 2015/16 - subclass 190 visa

The following has recently been announced by Migration and Information Services section of the ACT Government.

“Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa – Closure of ACT nomination program to overseas applicants for 2015/16

Effective immediately (18 March 2016 at 4pm AEST) - The ACT Migration program is closed to all overseas residents. If your client is not in Australia, you will not be able to apply for ACT nomination of a Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa until the program reopens on 1 July 2016.

Applications for ACT nomination submitted before 4pm today will still be processed in queue order.

Please note, the current processing time is 3 - 4 months due to the large number of applications received post publication of the February 23 Occupation List.

CANBERRA RESIDENTS

This action does not affect Canberra based applicants. If your client is living in Canberra the 190 ACT nomination program is still open if they meet the nomination criteria. The average processing time of applications from Canberra residents is 4 weeks.”

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

This closure of the list announced by the ACT government is probably just the first of a number of similar actions by States and Territories.   The migration program year runs from the 1 July to the 30 June each year.

The states have a limited numbers of positions to nominate and they also try to set their own internal target in relation to different occupations.  As the end of the migration program year approached, and we get closer to the 30 June 2016, the state and territories may run out of positions to nominate.

The positive side of the cycle, is that the states will have new quotas of position to nominated from the 1 July 2016. So it is often still worth while for you to get your skills assessed and to achieve the required English scores, with a view to the new lists.

Source:

 http://www.canberrayourfuture.com.au/portal/migrating/article/skilled-migration-visas/

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as Migration Review Tribunal, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.